GL issues first EEDI certificate

Hapag-Lloyd has received the first-ever Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) certification to be issued by classification society Germanischer Lloyd.

The EEDI certificate is for the 8,750 TEU containership Vienna Express and was issued in accordance with voluntary EEDI guidelines set out in a circular from IMO's Marine Environmental Protection Committee.

Gl says the EEDI value attained by the vessel is significantly better than the present average vessel of this size, underlining the high energy efficiency of the vessel's design.

IMO initiated efforts related to the reduction of greenhouse gases from ships in 2003. Its recent focus has been on the EEDI which will likely become a future mandatory newbuilding standard. The EEDI compares theoretical CO2 emissions and transport work of a vessel (gCO2/(t*nm)) and will eventually be benchmarked against an IMO-set requirement.

As the EEDI attained by an individual ship represents the basic energy efficiency of a design, it can be used as a benchmark within an operator's fleet as well as for a comparison against a competitor's fleet. Benchmarking against the ship's operations is possible as well. This means that the determination of the EEDI also makes sense for ships already in service, provided all data for a complete EEDI Technical File are available.

For the verification of the EEDI, a technical file was established, that summarizes all relevant technical data, and documents the calculation procedure towards the final EEDI value.

GL says some EEDI issues still require more attention from IMO and that it has brought these to the German flag administration for possible consideration at future IMO meetings. GL has been working on EEDI development on behalf of Germany's Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development and says it has has developed unique competence in the interpretation and verification of the EEDI. With the introduction of the EEDI certificate, GL has extended its portfolio of services on energy efficiency of ships, ranging from certificates to consultancy.

The 337 m long by 43 m beam Vienna Express was delivered by Hyundai Heavy Industries in January and has a main engine performance tailored towards improved fuel consumption at today's lower operating speeds.

The main engine performance, originally designed for 68,640 kW, was reduced to 51,480 kW. The newbuilding also has a variable exhaust gas bypass for the turbocharger, which is regulated by the electronic engine control. Maximum speed is reduced slightly, but the overall lower fuel consumption increases the vessel's endurance from 23,300 to 27,700 nautical miles.